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Samsung in deal to buy US tech firm [TradeArabia]
[August 16, 2014]

Samsung in deal to buy US tech firm [TradeArabia]


(TradeArabia Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Samsung said yesterday it had reached a deal to buy a US home automation startup SmartThings, as the South Korean electronics giant aims to expand beyond the increasingly saturated smartphone market.

The world's top smartphone maker said it had entered into a deal to buy the US app maker, which allows people to monitor and control their home appliances via mobile devices, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"With Samsung's resources and support, SmartThings will be able to expand its platform and become available for even more partners and devices," Samsung said.

SmartThings will continue to operate independently under its founder and chief executive Alex Hawkinson and will become part of Samsung's Open Innovation Centre.

The centre is responsible for developing Samsung's new software and services.

"We are committed to maintaining SmartThings' open platform, fostering more explosive growth, and becoming its newest strategic partner," the centre's head, David Eun, said.



SmartThings, founded in 2012, has built an open platform that supports about 1,000 devices.

Samsung produces electronic products including handsets, memory chips, TVs and other home appliances like washing machines and refrigerators.


But the company earns more than a half of its sales and profits from its mobile business, which is faced with increasing competition in an increasingly saturated market.

Samsung last month reported a 20 per cent drop in its net profit for the second quarter with analysts predicting a bleak future for its key mobile unit.

The firm has ramped up efforts to promote Internet-enabled wearable devices like smartwatches, in a move towards the market for the Internet of Things, in which household appliances and electronic devices are connected through the network. – TradeArabia News Service ? (c) 2014 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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